Persuading Robin (And Maybe Having a Little Fun Too)
by KevlarMasquerade
Summary: "After a few seconds, they were separated forcefully. Starfire gasped for breath and saw Speedy flying across the room. Robin stood between them, his fists clenched at his sides." When Starfire admits to Speedy that she has been having some trouble with a certain Boy Wonder, he helps as best as he knows how. RobStarSpeedy... but really just RobStar


**This story was inspired by an actual instance in the Teen Titans comic (volume 1, issue 32) where Speedy kissed Starfire, mostly as a joke. It didn't go like this. Starfire shot him with her starbolts while he was kissing her- which, while amusing, is not the fluff that I wanted. Robin didn't do **_**anything. **_**He was just like "okay, guys, stop screwing around." Humph. So I wrote this. Takes place right after season 4. Works in continuity with the show.**

**Disclaimer: Blah, blah, Teen Titans belongs to DC, blah blah…**

Starfire sat on the ledge of the tower, hugging her knees to her chest. The skyline of Jump City was beautiful, but it reminded her too much of the capital city of Tamaran. The Earthlings were fond of big cities. On Tamaran, the people preferred wide plains and villages, with cities being in the minority. Starfire had been here long enough that of course she felt at home among the bustle, but she craved the openness of Tamaran sometimes.

The city was in various stages of disrepair. The Titans' most recent battle, their fight with Trigon, left the city quite extensively damaged. There were some people in Jump that blamed the Titans for collateral damage- people who said that if the Titans weren't there, the bad guys wouldn't be either. People who wanted them gone. But they were a minority. Money set up in the Titans Urban Reconstruction Fund quieted most, plus generous donations from Bruce Wayne of Gotham City specifically to Jump helped a lot. Most people shrugged off the damage and thanked the Titans for what they did. Some were more adamant.

Robin had been on edge lately dealing with those people. He was frustrated because the campaign for a new mayor was under way, and one of the candidates promised to remove the Titans from Jump City. His campaign was gaining momentum, and Robin and Cyborg together had started talking to the press. Raven wanted no part and Robin very politely asked Starfire and Beast Boy not to say much to any reporters. Beast Boy was offended, and Starfire was a little hurt too, but she knew it was because the two of them were less guarded than the others. It was a trait that she liked about herself, and she liked it in Beast Boy, too, so she didn't put up any arguments.

But she felt lonely. Robin was busy a lot lately. On top of his usual workload, he was busy with politics now, too. And when he wasn't doing that, he was researching desperately about Slade. He'd shown up with Trigon, but he disappeared after that. Robin was sure he was just waiting to attack. Starfire would walk up to the doorway of the evidence room or the investigation room. Sometimes she would feel too useless or unsettled to even open the door, but sometimes she would open the door and linger in the doorframe and watch him. He hadn't noticed her doing that yet. Or maybe he did and chose to ignore her.

Cyborg was taking advantage of the momentary lull in villainous action to upgrade the T-ship, or the T-car, or the Tower, or his own defensive and offensive systems. He was in the garage more often than not.

Raven was even more closed off than usual, meditating twice as long as she usually did. Starfire thought the defeat of her father would make her more open and less scared. While Raven did seem to be friendlier when she was around, she spent almost all of her time meditating. Starfire meditated with her sometimes, but she got bored of it much more quickly than Raven did. Not the she blamed her friend. Through meditation, Raven was trying to find answers. Discover things about herself she'd been afraid to before. Starfire was glad for her- she just wished it didn't take up so much time.

Beast Boy had become much closer to Starfire lately as a result of the other Titans' work-induced absence, but he liked playing video games much more than Starfire did. Super Ninja Fury 4 just came out this weekend on Gamestation and Beast Boy was glued to the television screen. Starfire watched him for a while, but she didn't really find it that amusing for too long.

So she sat on the roof, watching cars slowly make their way in and out of the city on bridges or emerging from tunnels. The wind was warm and the sun was shining in a way that made her feel lazy but not too warm. She daydreamed about Tamaran and Okaara and even about some of her experiences on Earth.

"Hey, gorgeous, I'm looking for the rough-and-tough Titans. You wouldn't happen to see any of them, would you?"

Starfire turned. Someone on their island? The alarm should've gone off. Unless-

"Speedy! It has been a while!" Starfire exclaimed, getting to her feet and greeting him with a hug. "Where is the rest of Titans East?"

Speedy shook his head. "I'm on my own."

"You quit the Titans?" she asked, horrified.

"'Course not. I'm just poking around on my own a little, that's all. Take me inside?"

"Of course. I suppose you are looking for Robin," Starfire said as she lifted up the trap door which led to the inside of the tower.

"Yeah, I guess. Although I wouldn't mind a minute alone with you, hot stuff." He winked at her.

Starfire smiled at him. Speedy was joking around, she knew that. Raven didn't take very well to his sense of humor, but none of it was anything Starfire hadn't heard before. She liked the attention, too. She hadn't had a good, jokey conversation with any of her friends in a few days. Even Beast Boy was too sucked into his video game to spend much of his time joking around with her.

"Now, Speedy. I'm from Tamaran, you're from Earth- think of the children!" she cried dramatically, putting her wrist on her forehead in the way that she'd seen ladies do in soap operas.

Speedy snorted. "Most attractive redheads in two galaxies."

She knocked on the door in front of them. "Robin? I require a moment of your time."

Speedy gently pushed her out of the way and walked through the door, not waiting for an invitation. "Okay, hotshot, you can give me more than a moment."

Robin turned away from his laptop. "Speedy. Bumblebee told me you were working on a case. You could've called one of us in on it."

Speedy leaned on the table next to Robin. "Nah, Rob. I have a personal vendetta. Drug supplier in Steel City spread his reach. I've been to Gotham, Blüdhaven, and Rapid City. According to my evidence, this is the last place I'll find any of that supplier's dirt."

Robin ran his fingers through his hair. "We haven't gotten many calls about drugs in."

"Yeah, I know. You guys have been busy with Trigon. Nice job with that. Listen, I don't need your help, really. I just wanted to let you know that I was in town."

Robin let his eyes drift over to Starfire, who was lingering in the doorway. She was watching him quietly, with an almost reverent look in her eyes. It made him uncomfortable and he looked away. "Well, I don't want to leave you on your own. Star, you're not busy today, are you?"

"Watch, it Rob," Speedy cautioned with a smirk, "or I'll steal her away from you!"

Robin looked at Speedy with no trace of humor in his expression. Speedy cleared his throat awkwardly. "That was a joke," he explained.

"Right. Listen, if anything comes up, give me a call," Robin said before turning back to his computer.

"Gotcha, Rob," Speedy said. He turned back to Starfire. "Okay, gorgeous, let's get going. Don't you worry about a thing. You're with Speedy now. And, if you were wondering, the name's not indicative of _everything_ that I do. If you know what I mean." He arched his eyebrows up playfully.

Starfire saw Robin turn to face them again. He looked angry. Angry that Speedy was flirting with her. Seeing that filled her up with a bubbly glee that instantly made her feel guilty. She shouldn't feel pleasure at Robin's expense. She just cocked her head at Speedy. "I do not, but I am sure that your name is completely unrelated to both your personality and your actions," she said cheerily.

"Uh… right. Let's get going, Starfire," he muttered, ushering her out the door.

Starfire and Speedy stood on the roof, looking out over the ledge. "Yeah. West side by the ports."

"I see." She floated above him and grabbed his wrists.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a little unnerved. "Don't tell me we're gonna _fly_ like this!"

Starfire laughed. "Do no worry. I fly with Robin like this all the time!"

"Beautiful, if I did everything like Robin I'd be a lot angrier, a lot more obsessive, and less good with the ladies." He smiled at her though and let her take hold of his wrists.

She set off in the direction Speedy pointed out, landing a minute later among the smell of the sea, largely covered up by the smell of pollution and gasoline.

"What kind of dr-" Starfire began, but was interrupted by Speedy slamming his weight against her his hand over her mouth.

"Listen, babe, when two superheroes are patrolling the bad side of town, you can't actually _say_ that we're looking for ugs-dray! It'll blow our cover." He lifted his hand from her mouth and stepped away.

"I am sorry. I did not mean it," she explained nervously.

"Yeah, I know. S'okay. Just keep those pretty lips of yours together. Quiet," he said.

"Okay," Starfire whispered. "I understand."

"Good girl. Now, the shipment's coming up from the south, and it's going to be unloaded here. I aim to stop the boat before it can unload. So we're looking for a small black boat," Speedy explained as he walked along, glancing over piers.

Starfire followed him unsurely. He seemed to be so in his element. She only felt out of place.

"I don't see it yet. I wanted to get here a little early, so that's good." He glanced at Starfire. "What's a'matter? You upset because I yelled at you? I didn't mean it."

"I know. That is not it. It is just that there are so many things on this planet that I am unsure of," she answered awkwardly. She shouldn't tell him all this. He wasn't that close to her. But she felt so cooped lately, and not to mention lonely. She couldn't help it.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It… it is nothing. I do not wish to burden you with my irrational thoughts," she mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

Speedy crossed his arms. "Listen, we're partners. Whatever's on your mind, you go ahead and say it."

"It's just that, on Tamaran there are none of the harmful substances that we are tracking and no one hides their feelings all day long because all their friends are busy and it is most confusing that Earthlings feel the need to pretend that things are 'normal' when they are anything but normal!" she exclaimed in one breath.

Speedy glanced around uncomfortably. "What?"

Starfire sighed. "I apologize for-"

"Stop apologizing. One thing at a time, gorgeous. You have my undivided attention, so why don't you explain all that a little slower?" Speedy asked, crossing his arms.

"It is just that on my planet, things are so… different. I do not understand why your people- uh, Earthlings- feel the need for synthetic substances. On Tamaran, we let emotions bring us joy instead. I think that perhaps if that was practiced here, there would be no need for any of this violence over the… um, _ugs-dray_," Starfire explained.

Speedy smiled. "It's really great that you don't have this problem where you're from. But emotions don't… They don't affect us the same way the affect you. You get your powers from them, and that's great. But some people don't let themselves feel as much as you do."

Starfire sighed. "I have experienced that."

"Oh, no." Speedy said suddenly. "Uh-uh. No way am I getting into it with you about Batboy."

"What?" Starfire stammered, heat rising to her face. She didn't think he would know what she was talking about.

"Look, _I_ don't know why girls go all nuts for the 'troubled type' or whatever." He studied Starfire for a moment. "I'll tell you what. As a thanks for helping me out here, I'll give you a hand with Birdboy."

"You will?" She asked, stunned.

"Sure thing, sweet-cheeks. I have a soft spot for damsels in distress." He glanced out over the water, his muscles tensing. "Yeah," he continued distractedly, "I know what'll turn ol' Robbie right around. Come on, we've got work to do. I need you to fly me on board that ship, Star, but give it a wide berth so they don't see us coming."

"A wide what?" she asked, floating over him, still confused by his last offer.

"Just… don't go straight to it. Go around it so they don't see us," he explained patiently.

"Okay." She grabbed his wrists again and did what he asked her to.

Speedy landed noiselessly on the deck, falling into a crouch and absorbing the impact with his knees. There were wooden boxes scattered around, but only three of them had what Speedy was looking for. "I'm hoping there won't be any violence. We'll have to be quick. The dope should be in a wooden box with the top nailed down. I have a crowbar in my quiver, so just wait for me to-"

He turned as she pried the top off of one box. "Uh. Okay. Got it. I'll keep the crowbar for myself."

He pried the box apart. There was a bunch of packing peanuts in it, and when he rifled his hand through it, he pulled out china figures from the Styrofoam. It was a nativity scene. Trying not to feel guilty about rifling through the figurines, he put the top back on the box.

He looked over at Starfire, who'd uncovered a few boxes, and he decided to pick up the pace. He ducked when he heard the sound of a starbolt being charged. A streak of green shot past his head. He turned to see three big guys, one in the process of being knocked into another.

Speedy jumped back as the third guy lunged at him. He landed on his shoulder and rolled on his back, drawing a boxing glove arrow and nocking it in one fluid motion. He shot it and it clipped the third guy's shoulder, knocking him off balance. Speedy continued rummaging through boxes, hoping to find them in the momentary lull.

"Speedy! The, um, _substances-_"

"It's okay to say drugs now, Star!" he told her, somewhat exasperated, as he scrambled over to her. White powder in small plastic bags filled the box. "Good going, hot stuff. Two more should be around here somewhere-"

Starfire threw starbolts behind Speedy before ripping the top off a box in front of them. Packing peanuts flew out and she slammed the lid over it again.

"Keep doing what you're doing, beautiful. I'll handle these guys," Speedy said with a wink. He advanced on the three men, kicking two to the ground with a split kick, and punching the other one in the gut. It close fights like this, Robin had a leg up on him. His little knick-knacks were definitely easier to reach than his arrows. But he liked to believe that his arrows packed a bigger punch.

"Another one!" Starfire shouted triumphantly.

"Good going. One left," Speedy called back as he nocked another arrow. This one had a string that would come out until he released it, tying up the three mooks.

Except that one of them jumped up and scrambled away. Speedy turned after letting the string go. The two guys he kicked grunted as it bound them tightly together. He had one of the figurines in his hand and was approaching Starfire, who had her back turned to him.

Speedy nocked a boxing glove arrow and yelled out her name as a warning. He hit him in the shoulder just as Starfire turned and blasted him with a starbolt. The combined force of their hits knocked him overboard.

"Aw, great," Speedy muttered as he nosedived off the railing to bring him back up. He swam over to him. The guy could swim alright, so he didn't really need saving, but he needed help getting back on the ship and besides, Speedy wasn't going to let him just get away after that.

He nocked one string arrow, adjusting for the wet feathers and string, and shot it. It wrapped around the railing and, with the last mook in tow, he climbed aboard the ship again, thoroughly waterlogged. He tugged at the string on his arrow and it came loose. He busied himself with tying up the drug pusher.

"I would have gone in after him, Speedy. Flight makes rescuing people from the water less of a hassle," Starfire said, kneeling in front of three boxes stacked on top of each other.

"As much as I would love to see you soaking wet, Star," Speedy joked as he took off a boot and held it upside down to get the water out, "I got it. You have all the boxes?"

"Yes! They are all here. I suppose we should get these criminals to the city jail?" Starfire asked, nudging the man Speedy saved gently with the tip of her boot.

"Yeah. Looks like the date's over," Speedy said. "Just let me go handle the captain…"

Starfire and Speedy took the criminals and the drugs to the jail. They let the captain go because he said he didn't know the drugs were even on his ship. He was bringing nativity figurines down from Oregon. He knew the woman selling them and he delivered them to one of her outlet stores for cheaper than a truck would have done.

They landed on the roof of Titan's Tower almost three hours after they left. "Thanks for the hand, babe. It was real."

Starfire tilted her head, confused. "What is 'it', and when is it not real?"

"No, it's just… just a thing that… Never mind. I told you I'd help you out with Angry Bird, and I will."

"Speedy, thank you, but that is not really necessary," Starfire said with an embarrassed smile.

"Oh, please. It'll be my pleasure. Driving Robin _batty_ is pretty fun. Uh, that's messing with him a little," Speedy added quickly when he saw Starfire's confused expression.

"What do you mean?" she asked, concern tingeing her voice. She didn't really want to do anything to make Robin upset or do something stupid.

"Don't worry about it," he answered with a grin.

"Oh," she said, unsure of how to take that. She followed him into the tower.

"Just go along with it. Come on, hot stuff, I should be on my way. I was supposed to be back in Steel City yesterday. And I don't mean that as a figure of speech. Bumblebee is gonna have my head on a silver platter. That I _do_ mean as a figure of speech. With any luck." He winked at her. Starfire kind of liked it. None of her other friends really winked much. It certainly made it easier to tell whether or not he was joking, a problem she sometimes had with Beast Boy.

Starfire smiled. "I am sure that she will not demand your head on a plate, Speedy."

He shrugged. "You never know. Why aren't we going back to the investigation room?"

"It's dinner! Even when we are all busy, Cyborg insists on cooking dinner for us. Well, not Beast Boy, usually," Starfire added thoughtfully.

"Oh yeah. He's into that tofu junk, isn't he?" Speedy asked, wrinkling his nose as he and Starfire stepped into the common room.

"Hey!" Beast boy shouted indignantly, jabbing the prongs of his fork at Speedy. "Don't knock the tofu."

"How'd the mission go, guys?" Robin asked, putting down his silverware and standing up. He leaned against the counter, facing Speedy.

"It went well, Robin, thanks for asking!" Starfire said nervously.

"Yep," Speedy said, throwing an arm around her shoulder, "we did a good job. Thanks for lending her to me, Robbie."

Robin crossed his arms over his chest. "No problem," he answered, not sounding very amused.

This was too much. Starfire ducked out from under Speedy's arm.

"I put a bowl of chili in the fridge for you, Star," Cyborg said between mouthfuls.

"Thank you friend. I will eat once Speedy has gone," she said, rummaging through the fridge and putting her bowl of chili on the counter and taking a container of mustard in her hand. She poked a bendy straw through the top.

"You're not sticking around?" Beast Boy asked Speedy. "I got SNF4 on Gamestation. I can kick your butt on it a little before you leave," he offered.

"Sounds unlikely. But I can't. I gotta be back soon, and I'm flying back on my pod from the T-ship II, and eating right before flying makes me sick," he added as he saw Cyborg about to offer him dinner. "Thanks, though."

"There's nothing you need before you leave?" Raven asked.

"Nah. I'm good. Thanks, guys, really," he said, grinning at the Titans.

Robin, who seemed to have regained his good humor, gave him a brotherly fist bump. "We'll be seeing you around, then."

Starfire floated in front of Speedy. She threw her arms around his neck and stepped back. "It was good seeing you. And thank you for today."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "We did a drugs bust, Star. I wouldn't really be thanking me if I were you."

"I know. It is just that it has been so _quiet_ around here lately." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed most of her friends shift uncomfortably in their seats. "It was nice to do the hanging out, even if we were working."

Speedy smiled at her and took her wrist. "Actually, I guess there is something I'll be needing before I leave. For the road."

"What is tha-"

Starfire was surprised into silence as Speedy tugged her wrist and folded her in his arms with her back against his forearm. "Okay, sweet-cheeks, just go along with it," he whispered with a wink.

"What?" she whispered back.

He dipped her back theatrically as he pressed his lips against hers, supporting her full weight with his arms.

Starfire felt herself blush. She pushed him away weakly, more out of surprise than of outright protest. Not that she specifically _wanted_ to kiss Speedy. On Tamaran, kissing wasn't really a big deal, so she wasn't very offended. But she understood that this was Speedy's solution to her "Robin problem", if you could call it that. Which she didn't, really.

After a few seconds, they were separated forcefully. Starfire gasped for breath and saw Speedy flying across the room. Robin stood between them, his fists clenched at his sides. Speedy raised his eyebrows at Robin, straightening out his quiver but not getting up. Judging by Robin's aggressive stance, it was probably best that he stayed down. Starfire pulled herself up, supporting herself on the cabinet behind her.

"You should leave," Robin growled. He wheeled around, his cape fluttering behind him, and stormed out of the common room.

Starfire stared after him, then stared at Speedy. He picked himself up off the floor and brushed himself off. "Well," he said with a satisfied sigh. "Don't mention it," he aded, winking at Starfire. He glanced at the table. Cyborg and Beast Boy were frozen, a fork halfway between Cyborg's bowl and his mouth. Beast Boy's ears were drooped and the tofu was slipping out of his tofu dog, which he held a few inches above his plate.

"Are you okay?" Raven asked, the first one to break the shocked silence.

"Yep. Great. C'mon, guys. One punch from ol' Robbie isn't enough to put me out of commission." He wiped at his lips with the back of his hand. "Star, were you eating mustard?"

She glanced around, looking for the container of mustard with the bendy straw sticking out of it. It was at her feet, splotches of yellow on the floor. She must have dropped it when Speedy surprised her. She nodded.

"Oh." He furrowed his brows together in confusion. "Okay, then. I'm going to let myself out. Nice seeing you guys," he said politely before exiting through the door Robin had disappeared through.

"Star?" Beast Boy asked a couple seconds after Speedy left. "How was your day?"

She looked at him in confusion. Was that a joke? "Excuse me," she said instead of answering him, "I will be right back." She started to fly down the hall when she turned back and poked her head through the door. "Actually, I might not be right back. Actually, I will probably not be back." With that, she flew through halls of Titan's Tower until she found herself at Robin's door. She knocked on it and there was no answer. "Robin?" she called softly. "I wish to speak to you. Robin?" she knocked again. She sighed sadly. He must be angry with her.

She walked sullenly to her room. She wasn't mad at Speedy, even though what he did was uncalled for. He was only trying to help her. She should have made sure she knew his plans before this happened.

As she turned the corner to her room, she looked up. A swath of pale moonlight shone in a square across the floor a few feet away from her door, and at just outside this square sat a certain Boy Wonder.

"Robin!" Starfire gasped, kneeling in front of him. "I was looking for you!"

He looked down at her. He sat with his back pin straight against the wall and she slouched in front of him. It made him look taller than her for once. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Why?" she asked, although she already knew. She was taking malicious pleasure in his jealousy. She bit her lip to keep from smiling.

"Because. If you want… if you want to be with Speedy… I have no right to stop you." He paused. She could have explained to him then that she wasn't really seeing Speedy, but she wanted to know what he would say next. He looked away from as he spoke again. "I just thought that you… That we…"

She couldn't stand it any longer. He sounded so sad. "Oh, Robin, I do not want to be with Speedy."

He snapped his gaze back to her. "You don't?" She shook her head. "Then why did he-?"

"I believe that the sense of humor of Speedy escapes you," she said softly.

Robin stared at her. "Sense of humor? Starfire, that's not funny."

She looked away uncomfortably. "I do not think that he meant the actual… the kissing… to be funny. I think he meant for your reaction to be funny."

"I'm not sorry for punching him anymore," he muttered.

Starfire laughed. Robin smiled at her in spite of himself. She held his gaze for a moment, then she said sweetly, "I am sorry that that upset you." Robin looked away.

Starfire moved stubbornly into his line of vision and situated herself next to him in the swatch of light that shone on the hall. The light from the moon washed over her while Robin remained in the shadows.

"Upset me?" he echoed, sounding almost desperate. She thought for a minute that he would deny it. That he would make up an excuse for why he punched Speedy so hard that he flew across the room while he happened to be kissing her and why he waited for her to return to her room with an apology ready. But he sighed, defeated. "It _did_ upset me." He leaned his left temple on the wall, looking down at her. "It made me so angry. Because I thought I had you."

"You do," she murmured, and just saying that made her feel like her heart expanded so large it was squished against her ribcage.

He looked at her for a few minutes, and she let him. She let him look without talking or thinking. She liked that he was looking at her instead of the pictures of Slade clipped out from newspapers that covered the walls in the investigation room like paper-mache. And she liked more than anything that he was telling her how he felt. But she didn't want to make him feel angry, or sad, and definitely not lost. She wanted to make him feel happy. And loved.

She tilted her head up, her cheek grazing the wall, and he leaned his head down. Their lips met softly in the space where light and shadows mixed but didn't meld, each feeling the softness of the other's movements.

Starfire felt a tingle like warm water being dropped over her head from a bucket. At first she could only feel him against her, like the initial wetness of the water. But then she began to feel the warmth- the sparks that flashed between their lips or their fingers as he laced his through hers. The pressure that ballooned out from her stomach until it reached her head, leaving her giddy and breathless.

He increased the pressure of his lips against hers, shifting his body to fit against hers better. They shifted from being in the half-shadows of the hallway to being in the white square of light from the moon. She lifted her hands to rake her fingers through his hair, which she gripped gently as he pulled her toward him. She let her fingers drop over his cheeks and under his jaw before gripping at the back of his neck.

She pressed back as he fit his fingers over her hip bones, pulling back slightly to take a much needed breath. He pressed forward, softening the intensity of the kiss. He pressed his mouth against her jaw, sending shivers through her spine. She made a small noise in the back of her throat.

He pulled back. He looked at her again, but this time his brow was furrowed and his look was intense, where before he just looked serene.

Her lips tingled and cried out for more contact, but she didn't lean forward. She sensed that they were sitting on glass and she could hear it starting to crack.

"Starfire," he whispered, his voice stuck in his throat.

She blinked. She couldn't bring herself to answer him.

"Star. I… care about you. A lot. Maybe more than I should."

If she felt like a bucket of warm water was being poured on her before, this was like a bucket of ice water. She felt numb at first, and then fear and a coldness circulated through her veins. She looked away and he shifted away from her. Back in the shadows.

They were still close- he couldn't bend his arm without hitting her elbow with his. But it felt so far away.

"All I'm saying is… Look how busy I've been lately. You said yourself. It's been quiet here. I can't… we can't…" he fumbled and looked at her desperately. "Please understand."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You are saying that you wish to remain… the way we were before."

He made an annoyed sound in his throat. "Star. I want you to know how I feel. About you. I care about you. I want you near me. I want…"

"More?" she offered. He was confusing her.

"Yes. But I have to be…" he paused, searching for the right word.

"More?" she offered again.

"Yes. Well, sort of." He paused again. Starfire wasn't even going to try to understand what he was saying anymore. "Actually no. That's just it. I _can't_ be more. I'm Robin. That's all. I don't have time for Di- for another life."

"And that includes me," Starfire concluded shortly.

"I… yes."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What in the name of X'hal are you talking about?"

"Don't be mad," he pleaded, reaching for her hand.

"You tell me that you want more. And I am offering you more. And you are refusing it. Explain this to me now," she commanded with all the annoyed regality of a princess.

Robin took a deep breath. "Starfire. I'm not ready for this."

"So what you are saying," she said coldly, "is that you do not have the time or the energy for me. You are so busy in your own life that you do not have time for a girl who is a friend."

He winced. "Well, when you say it like that…"

"That is how I am hearing it," she snapped.

He moved his hand away from hers. "I'm just trying to tell you how I feel."

"I realize that. And in turn, I am reciprocating." She narrowed her eyes at him. She felt selfish about what she was going to say, but she could feel the words floating through her insides like poison. She had no choice now. She had to say it. "I feel that for about the entire time I've known you, you have been interested in me in a way that makes me feel nice. But then, just when I get used to it, you treat me like I don't mean any more to you than anybody else you are good friends with. And that makes me feel bad. It makes me feel like the underside of a Frop. And, just when that starts feeling not so bad, you treat me like I'm special again. And the longer I know you, the more volatile this behavior becomes."

Robin didn't say anything. He reached for her hand again, but she wasn't going to let him distract her. He furrowed his brow again. "Well, you started it!"

"What?" she asked, confused. "I do not know what you-"

"You want volatile? The first day I met you, you kicked a car at me and then a few minutes later you kissed me," he reminded her.

"But that was merely a transfer of language!" she protested.

"Then what was… before? A brush up on your ABC's?" he demanded sarcastically.

"Robin!" she gasped, offended. She moved to get up with the aim of storming into her room.

He caught her by the wrist in front of her door. "Wait."

"Let me go," she growled, her eyes glowing green.

"No," he said softly. "Come on. Sit down. Please," he begged.

She did, her eyes returning to their normal color. She sat down on his right side. They were both encased in shadows. "I do not like fighting with you, Robin. It makes me feel…" she struggled. It kind of made her feel like her blood had been replaced with mud, and it felt heavy in her veins and it made her feel sick. But she felt like saying that was a bit dramatic.

"I know," he said soothingly. "I know how it makes you feel."

Starfire leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist. "What do we do now?" she asked him, her breath tickling his neck.

"We'll figure it out, Star," he murmured. They sat like that, her breath warm on his neck, for a while. Robin started to get sleepy, and he nudged his head. "Star," whispered. "Starfire."

She didn't answer. He drew away from her and her head slumped on his shoulder. She had fallen asleep. He smiled and brushed her hair out of her face before picking her up, shoulders under one arm and her knees under the other, her head lolled against his chest.

He entered her room quietly and put her under the covers. Fast asleep, she gathered the blankets around her and a contented sound escaped from her throat. He bent over her and kissed her forehead lightly. He left her room with a quiet that could only be outdone by the Batman- the Batman on a good day, at that.

**Word count: 5,970 (I really like it when my word count lands on a multiple of ten) 14 pages on Microsoft. I guess it's a little bit long, but I didn't want to just rush into the fluff. You do not **_**some**_** plot. **

**I modeled Speedy after comics Speedy, who actually did leave the Titans to work on drugs busts after getting involved with drugs himself. I didn't want to go into all that, though, because woah!- angst. I know, the ending isn't that happy. But I wanted it to fit in with canon, so think of this as happening before Beast Boy gets a message from the Brotherhood of Evil. **

**I will share with you what I have written on my outline, which I use whenever I get an idea so I can jot down notes and stuff. "Summary: I don't know. I just want Robin to punch Speedy for kissing Starfire. The way he SHOULD have in the comics."**

**Also, I'm really pleased with the nickname Angry Bird for Robin.**

**What did you guys think? Fluffy? Sucky? Too serious? Too light? Did I get Speedy's character down okay? How about Robin? Let me know so I can do it again (or not) in other fics!**


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